....to think my daughter's class has a right to a qualified teacher?

[pokemeinthemorning]

So we had a message tonight on the system to explain what is happening in my daughter's year 5 class. Apparently, their teacher will now be teaching another class because one teacher left two weeks ago and they have said they have 'dispensed of any supply staff'. Basically the TA will be teaching the class for the foreseeable future.
I know there are many dedicated and wonderful TA's who could make great teachers BUT we are not qualified to teach classes on a regular basis.
On questioning my daughter I found out that from the start of this year she has her teacher in class 2 days a week and the rest is taken on by the TA. We were not told about this.
As a TA myself, I know that they often cover classes but this is on a regular basis for a prolonged period of time.

I feel that this is very unfair and they should at least be employing supply teachers in the meantime.

Some TAs I know are fully qualified (stepped down from teaching for health / child care reasons) but I hope the school is paying them at teaching rate, rather than the (appallingly low) TA rate. And that the TA is actually happy stepping up (given they are not teachers for a reason)

I'm just thankful we live in Scotland. I'm a TA, and only look after the class at break and lunchtime, there is always a qualified teacher during class time.

as the school's insurance will kick in to provide funding for a replacement teacher.
Only if that have that insurance. We don't.

Haven’t read the whole line.

But no - my child will not be taught by an unqualified teacher. If the TA is qualified then fine. Otherwise I’d pull and change schools and tell governors plus ofsted why.

@TheHateIsNotGood of course you can't compare apples with pears, I was just making the point because I think people would be shocked to find out how little some teachers are paid. Supply is especially bad because of the huge fees the agencies cream off. I am a teacher with a degree, a postgraduate degree and 17 years' experience and an agency feels I am worth £110 a day. In schools, you can reach the top of the pay scale after 10 years or so, leave that school and you have no right to earn the same at another school. You can literally drop £10k down the scale as pay portability was got rid of by Michael Gove. This means many teachers are trapped in jobs they hate in schools that are making them ill because they can't afford to leave. It is a disgrace.

@84wood

Haven’t read the whole line.

But no - my child will not be taught by an unqualified teacher. If the TA is qualified then fine. Otherwise I’d pull and change schools and tell governors plus ofsted why.

How would you know?

Droopyclementis I'm sure well underpaid too!

@underneaththeash

The UK spends a decent % of GDP on education. Same as Canada and more than other European Countries such as France and Germany. (google it) Is the teacher a higher level TA? If not, she can't cover the classes. If she is she can only teach the classes for a "short period" of time.

I'd get together with some of the other parents and write to the head/governors. Remind them that an HLA's responsibilities are:

To complement the professional work of teachers by taking responsibility for agreed learning activities under an agreed system of supervision. This may involve planning, preparing and delivering learning activities for individuals/groups or short-term for whole classes…”
Not to teach full-time. Teachers in the UK in state schools are legally required to be qualified.

The problem with your first paragraph is that the % of GDP that governments quote as spending on education don't necessarily cover the same things. The UK includes independent school fees in their figures, and I think possibly other sectors which are not necessarily included in other countries. I quote from this IFS report: ifs.org.uk/uploads/2020--annual-report-on-education-spending-in-England-schools.pdf "School spending per pupil in England fell by 9% in real terms between 2009–10 and 2019–20. This represents the largest cut in over 40 years, but came on the back of a significant increase in spending per pupil of over 60% during the 2000s" So effectively we have been moving backwards in terms of educational funding since this government came to power.

MrsHamlet, surely the head could let parents know whether they are qualified to give reassurance. In this case we have no idea.

And don't even get me started on how little TAs are paid and how much is expected of them these days! 😡

@pokemeinthemorning

MrsHamlet, surely the head could let parents know whether they are qualified to give reassurance. In this case we have no idea.

I work with several unqualified teachers in an LA secondary school. The head doesn't tell anyone because he judged they're equipped to do the job. That's all that's required.

In Scotland and the TA isn't quite the same as our LA , but I'd be going ballistic!

I've been a governor of a local school and volunteered my time over the years.

Actually I think (and I say this with an awareness of the difficulties of covid and our less than anything approaching efficient government).

I really feel that some schools need to be reminded that parents and carers are also suffering from a 'retention crisis'.

And we don't get paid for doing our jobs.

I home schooled for eleven months in pandemic and now with college can't take on paid work as every other week there is remote learning on days and vast uncertainties going forward.

Yes, I understand schools and colleges have challenges.

However it is not acceptable to be taught by unqualified teachers in the long term. Or for that matter supply teachers.

We as parents have a right to express this view.

I have told my daughter's college that if they continue not to solve their staffing difficulties i shall be writing to every single one of the awards bodies on their letterhead to explain their standards are failing.

Make a complaint.
It's not your job to sort it.
It's theirs.

£60 a day Missdread. If you are lucky £65 with agency. Then they take fees off that too as someone said above. No cover for holidays or sickness. As a FT TA, a couple of years ago, I was earning just above minimum wage as an L3 TA in a special school where I dealt with feeding tubes, medication, epileptic fits and all the rest.
Who on earth would take on a full class of 30 kids for that money?

And if they don't have the money heads should be lobbying the government to get it. The burden should not be on parents shoulders and neither should it be at the expense of our sons and daughters eduation.

And we are not in private fee paying schools or colleges.

Not true at all. I know as I'm currently employed as one!

As far as I know, the old HLTA course isn’t run any more. Heads can employ anyone they like, and call them an HLTA. We have TAs with no TA qualifications who are ‘deemed’ to be an HLTA when it comes to covering for absent staff because there’s no one else to do it.

the school should cut its budget elsewhere, your child should be taught by a teacher and the if the school have budgeting issues they should be cutting elsewhere, not teaching staff

Yeah there is loads of budget to find elsewhere. Piles and piles of spare budget.

Surely they can't do this. It seems an absolute minimum to expect that when you send your kids to school they get taught by a qualified teacher. Surely it is a non negotiable like a qualified dentist working on your teeth or a surgeon operating on you.

It’s very likely the TA is a qualified teacher. Talk to the school to understand their reasons.

Beigebrownblue that is an interesting point. I had to give up work to homeschool as did many others, taking a huge pay cut. I'm still struggling to get back on my feet.

OP, I think you have a legitimate right to question what's happening, if the TA is appropriately qualified, if they will be supervised, if they are being properly remunerated for taking on a teaching role. Yes, the school should have given you some (or all) of this information already. I sympathise with you but I have no doubt the school is in a financial hole, because pretty much all schools are, and I'd agree with the PP's comment about the quality of supply staff (as in, mostly not up to the job)

@pokemeinthemorning it makes me so cross. TAs are expected to cover classes, plan, assess, be SEND specialists, often be physically and verbally assaulted, all for peanuts :-( Thank-you: you do an amazing job 💐

@ilovesushi

Surely they can't do this. It seems an absolute minimum to expect that when you send your kids to school they get taught by a qualified teacher. Surely it is a non negotiable like a qualified dentist working on your teeth or a surgeon operating on you.

It's not.

A timebomb triggered by the pandemic. Such a sad, sad state of affairs. Experienced and dedicated teachers are treated like shit under the current system and either jump ship or are forced out because they’re too expensive. Replaced by younger, cheaper teachers who may be enthusiastic but lack experience and often common sense. Schools are now a very different place than they used to be.

I’m sorry your child doesn’t have a teacher OP. Especially in year 5.

@pokemeinthemorning

£60 a day Missdread. If you are lucky £65 with agency. Then they take fees off that too as someone said above. No cover for holidays or sickness. As a FT TA, a couple of years ago, I was earning just above minimum wage as an L3 TA in a special school where I dealt with feeding tubes, medication, epileptic fits and all the rest. Who on earth would take on a full class of 30 kids for that money?

I home schooled for eleven months on benefits and now 'teach' half the week as college doing remote schooling.

No pay. No national insurance contributions. No career prospects. Yes, we have had to 'pull together' under Covid but parents contributions are undervalued. And we are not all 'in the same boat'.